Timothy Snyder, Professor of History at Yale and author of the best-selling On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, explained in Commonweal why this is not a normal election.
Please read the entire article, of which the following is an excerpt:
In normal times, we might regard any vote as ethical. To participate in an election is to dignify oneself as a citizen with a voice, and to express with others the interests and values that guide the future of our land. But these are not normal times.
This is clear from the perspective of the candidates. During a normal campaign, both candidates take for granted that they will walk free after the election. One will be in the Oval Office; the other will go home. This year is different. One candidate, Donald Trump, knows that, should he not remain in power, he will descend into poverty, go to prison, or both. He can hold the ongoing criminal investigations at bay as long as he is president, but not thereafter. Trump owes hundreds of millions of dollars to his creditors and has no visible means to pay them back. As president, he can expect his creditors to wait; as a private citizen, he cannot.
If someone can maintain wealth and freedom only by holding onto power, that person will fight to hold onto power. Behind the ideologies and the propaganda, this is the core history of tyranny: government becomes the bodyguard of a gangster. Modern authoritarians such as Vladimir Putin have much to say about why they must remain in power, but the real issue is that they wish to die wealthy and in their own beds rather than poor and in prison. In authoritarian countries, the anxiety of the tyrant can be allayed by a promise not to prosecute the leader and his family, and to leave their bank accounts in peace. Because the rule of law still (more or less) prevails in the United States, no one can offer Trump such a deal. He is therefore in a fight for his life; from his point of view, he needs to spend the rest of it in the White House. His predicament might not be obvious to Americans, but people in authoritarian countries see it right away.
It is also unusual, in an American presidential campaign, for one of the candidates to admit defeat. Trump has a fine political mind, and he can read polls and the national mood as well as anyone. For months now, he has been signaling that he cannot beat Joe Biden in an election. When he tried to summon the armed forces to aid him in June, it was the gesture of a man who needed unusual forms of help. When he tweeted in July that elections should be delayed, he revealed that he did not think he could win them. Undermining the United States Postal Service, asking his supporters to vote twice, and saying that he will not accept the results: all of these are ways of saying that he expects to lose. His campaign has ignored swing voters, and the Republican National Convention made no attempt to reach the undecided. In the first presidential debate, Trump tried, as he has done for months, to delegitimize the election as such.The plan is not to win the popular (or even the electoral) vote, but rather to stay in power in some other way.
If we take Trump at his word and begin with the premise that he cannot win the election, then his actions make sense. The plan is not to win the popular (or even the electoral) vote, but rather to stay in power in some other way. We don’t even really have to guess about this, since Trump has spelled it out himself: he will declare victory regardless of what happens, expect state governments to act contrary to vote counts, claim fraud from postal ballots, court chaos from white nationalists (and perhaps the Department of Homeland Security), and expect the Supreme Court to install him. In general, the idea behind these scenarios is to create as much chaos as possible, and then fall back upon personal ruthlessness and an artificial state of emergency to stay in power. If Trump creates a constitutional crisis while his supporters commit acts of violence, the Supreme Court might be intimidated.
In this transition from democracy to authoritarianism, otherwise known as a coup d’état, the actual number of people who vote for Trump matters less than it would in an ordinary election. In this scenario, it matters more how angry they are, and how willing some of them are to endorse extraordinary actions by Trump, or to take such actions themselves. Because he is treating election day as the occasion for a coup, Trump has good reason not to soften his message to reach more voters. In doing so he would risk losing some of the emotion he needs when he tries to stay in power by non-democratic means. He only has to stay within about ten points of Joe Biden to avoid the demoralization that arises when even core supporters realize they have been deceived by their leader and overwhelmed by their fellow citizens at the polls.
It is unusual for a plan for a coup d’état to be broadcast so clearly. Yet there is a political logic here, one with deep moral implications. By telling Americans in advance that he intends to stay in power regardless of the vote count, Trump is implicating his supporters in the action as it unfolds. He is giving them notice that they are siding with someone who intends to work hard to see that votes are not counted. He is making them understand that they are participants in the unravelling of American democracy. They might not want to face this reality squarely, which would be a normal reaction. This is a lesson of modern tyranny: authoritarianism need not be a conscious project of those embraced by it. They need only sleepwalk through the roles assigned to them. When democracy lies in the dust, they will find rationalizations for what they have done, and will support the authoritarian regime that follows, because they are already involved. No argument from emotions or interests can stop that process. The degradation is ethical, and so the question is about ethics.
What, then, is the moral meaning of a vote for Donald Trump on November 3?
Keep reading to learn the answer.
Let’s remember that there are those who believe the systematic disenfranchisement and the efforts to intimidate and frighten voters does not bother people who want Trump to win. Their concern is that the media won’t help amplify false charges against democrats because they believe that seeing it only on 100 right wing cites and Fox News every hour of every day is the real danger. Not hosing down African Americans gathering to get out the vote.
The voices who profess more concern for the “freedom of speech” (to amplify conspiracy theories about Biden) of the right wing billionaires who own almost all the major media than concern for the right to vote for the most vulnerable Americans are always rabid Trump supporters and not progressives.
Did you see the hosing down and pepper spraying of that group in North Carolina? That should be scary for anyone who isn’t a Trump voter – Trump voters are now very concerned that conspiracy theories aren’t being amplified enough without anyone bothering to see if they are true.
THANKS for sharing this one— best thing I’ve read this weekend— God help us all Tuesday and beyond….Bertis
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This morning I awoke to the news and the video’s of Trumpsters in Texas doing as Don Jr. asked them to do: Surround the Biden bus on the Interstate and display their Trump and American Flags. They succeeded in stoping a planned rally and raising havoc for others who called 911 and the police for assistance.
The news was also filled with reports of more than one city where businesses had boarded up windows, in anticipation of the chaos that Trump and Trump Jr are Trump-supporting “lawyers” are intent on stirring up before election day, on November 3 and as long as they can get away with it.
Then this appeared on my mailbox.
“We want to share some heavy news: Yesterday, People’s Action members with our local member organization Down Home North Carolina were supporting a multiracial voting rights rally when they were attacked by police and pepper sprayed.
This political violence took place two blocks away from an early voting location.
Children and elderly people were present and hit with the chemical. Immediately following the pepper spray attack, several vehicles drove through the area bearing Trump signs. Several rally attendees were arrested. ”
In other words, there are too many communities where the police cannot be trusted to support peaceful demonstrations by “multiracial groups.”
And in the meantime the cases and deaths from the COVID-19 virus are increasing and in new locations where the medical staff do not have ventilators (because Trump sent these to other countries), medical staff are exhausted, and not enough medically trained staff are available for hire. Some of these locations have also been the sites of Trump’s no-mask political rallies.
Thank you Timothy Synder and the Commonweal and Diane for helping to articulate the moral stakes in this election. The chilling part of the the current moment is that Trump voters and supporters have treated, as if authoritative, their rights to violate the rule of law, intimidate anyone who they view as their “political enemies,” and to completely trash longstanding principles for living under a constitutional democracy.
The supporters of Trump are authentic autocrats who seek power without regard to any issues of morality or ethical conduct. Some claim to be Christians.
Your last sentence rings for me:
“SOME CLAIM to be CHRISTIANS.”
I wonder what Jesus would say?
Laura,
The tactics you describe are best associated with Hitler’s Brownshirts. They attacked and harassed political opponents. The people of Germany did not realize that Hitler‘s first election in 1933 would be their last election for many years. People used to say, “It can’t happen here,” but it is.
Sorry, this off topic, but this is so good, I had to post it
Singer Cristina Perry did a series of songs with a school choir (PS22 Choir) about 6 years ago.
Unbelievable
She also did her song A Thousand Years with the same group
Christina Perri
I misspelled it
Another great one
John Mulaney had a fabulouis monologue last night on SNL. Here was the joke I had to write down, “Now my Nana is going to vote, and she’s 94 years old…Listen, this is my opinion, I don’t think it’s going to be that popular. Why don’t we shut the doors so no one hears it. I don’t think, maybe, she should vote. You know, you don’t get to vote when you’re 94 years old. You don’t get to order for the table when you’re about to leave the restaurant. I’m sorry, that joke is ageist. That is wrong. It is wrong to say that one age group is better than another. That would be like calling yourselves the Greatest Generation. ‘Oh, oh, we fought the Nazis!’ Well we’re trying to fight the new Nazis, if you would you would get out of the way and stop voting for people in between coin collector commercials.”
yes, a lot to think about in that “bit”
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education and commented:
Must read.
Dumpsy is NOT normal.
He’s EVIL and a traitorous liar who promotes violence, lying, cheating, stealing, and other BAD things.
SPECIAL NEW SUNDAY VIDEO: The 100 Cringeworthiest Trump Moments. From killing Herman Cain and having him tweet from beyond the grave that Covid was exaggerated, to praising non-existent countries, the best of Trump’s Worst.
I didn’t read anything Timothy Snyder wrote that I haven’t been thinking about for the last few months.
Trump is desperate. He will do “ANYTHING” to stay in power. His non-reaction to COVID-19 that has already caused a couple of couple of hundred thousand deaths is only a preview of what’s to come if he isn’t stopped.
If it took a hundred million deaths to keep him in power, he would not blink an eye or lose any sleep over it.
But Trump is also a coward so he has to have millions of Americans willing to die for him to keep him in the White House for the rest of his life. Then he will loots the banks, the treasury and make his crime family into the wealthiest family in the world with Putin in 2nd place while he turns the United States in to a dystopian nightmare.
I also expect that most of the solid blue states will leave the union while that is happening and he will use that as an excuse to start a Civil War to destroy them utterly, killing most of the people that live in those states.
I know for a fact that there are many combat vets in this country from privates to four star generals that know what Trump is up to and will not allow him to succeed. To stop them from acting, Trump must act fast and have as many of them killed or tossed in prison fast or they will take him out. But, does Trump have enough support from the racist militias, our domestic terrorists, to pull that off?
I shudder to think that we will find out between now and January 20, 2021.
“In authoritarian countries, the anxiety of the tyrant can be allayed by a promise not to prosecute the leader and his family, and to leave their bank accounts in peace. Because the rule of law still (more or less) prevails in the United States, no one can offer Trump such a deal. He is therefore in a fight for his life; from his point of view, he needs to spend the rest of it in the White House. His predicament might not be obvious to Americans, but people in authoritarian countries see it right away.”
What an interesting perspective. Financially, it45 would have been better off never running for office. Just guessing, but I imagine his public flouting of law as Prez intensified the resolve of feds in Southern District NYS to pursue cases against him. His hotels have lost tons of biz due to his divisive politics [maybe his neckties, & Ivanka’s trinkets as well]. He could have predicted some of this & probably did: lends credence to the theory he ran just to promote his brand, never expected to win. Any entrepreneur who dares to become prez gives himself huge financial exposure (just as do tyrants, corrupt/ on the take). Having always run his enterprises at the slippery edge of the law, he’s maximized his legal exposure as well (like the deposed tyrant).
I don’t believe “no one” can offer him such a deal.
It’s highly unlikely Biden would, of course, but what if Trump lost and then resigned before Jan 20? Pence would become President and could presumably pardon him as Ford did Nixon.
The claim that he could not be pardoned until he was formally charged is actually shown to be false by the Nixon case.
I don’t think it is likely that Trump would ever resign, but the possibility is at least there.
Of course, Nixon was pardoned for something he did while in office, but it’s not clear that a former President could not be pardoned for something they did before.
Where in the pardon clause of the Constitution does it preclude that?
It does say for crimes against the United states”, so might not apply to tax evasion, for example , at least not at the state level.
But “The U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted this language to include the power to grant pardons, conditional pardons, commutations of sentence, conditional commutations of sentence, remissions of fines and forfeitures, respites, and amnesties.[6]” — from wikipedia
And if it came down to a Supreme Court decision, I am not at all certain they would not decide in Trump’s favor.
Amy C Barrett is Trump’s insurance policy.
Or maybe be would just pardon himself, not precluded by the Constitution.
Also from wikipedia
“A federal pardon can be issued prior to the start of a legal case or inquiry, prior to any indictments being issued, for unspecified offenses, and prior to or after a conviction for a federal crime.[12] President Gerald Ford’s broad federal pardon of former president Richard M. Nixon in 1974 for “all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974″ is a notable example of a fixed-period federal pardon that came prior to any indictments being issued and that covered unspecified federal offenses that may or may not have been committed.[12]”
Trump has said he would pardon himself if needed. But that pardon applies only to federal crimes, not to state crimes. New York is waiting to go after him.
Trump to Pence (sung to the Lynn Anderson tune, of course)
I beg your pardon
I clever promised you a Rose Garden
Along with the sunshine
There’s gotta be a little reign sometime
With regard to pardon only applying to federal crimes, it might not matter if the case went to the Supreme Court.
They have just made stuff up in the past, as they did with Bush v Gore.
I can see them interpreting “offenses against the United States” as meaning “offenses against any one or all of the states”
Original (aka creative) Intent
Original intent
“United States” means “states”
“Original” is bent
To fall inside the gates
I’ve been thinking about possible headlines after Trump loses the election. Here are a few that spring to mind:
“I like winners, not losers.” –Donald Trump
Character Is Destiny
Referendum Suggests America Having Moments of Lucidity
Donald Trump Loses Presidential Election Again
Biden Steals Election by Convincing Majority of Americans to Vote for Him
Or this:
No Clown Makeup in Prison–Orange on Orange Is Too Matchy-Matchy
Or this ominous one:
Trump to Hold BIGGEST NON-INAUGURATION EVER in Ex-K-Mart Parking Lot
Or this:
Donald, We Hear It’s Beautiful in Sochi This Time of Year
Trump Loses in Un-Presidented Turnout
Or this:
Jeez, Donald. Enough. Just Go Already!
How about just “Trumped!”
Or ” Towering Inferno”
Or “Donald Dunked”
LOVE IT!
If the racist cretin
takes a beatin’,
then maybe, my friend,
it isn’t the end.
Or the obvious one:
You’re fired!
I hope we can hold up a sign that reads: “YOU’RE FIRED!” in Trump’s face.
There is so much dark Russian dark money and GOP dark money in this race, it makes my head spin.
Churchhill is right. VOTE.
The eyes of our youth is on us. They need good role models and we are “it.” Holy cow.
This week’s Trump endorsement is from Jack Nicklas, who has had the privilege associated with being male, white and a member of the religion protected in America
for the past 40 years.
A year ago, the website of the protected religion’s Arlington, Va. area posted a sermon woven around, “putting others ahead of personal desire”, with a lead in touting Jack Nicklas. Today, the site’s banner is, “Vote 2020”.
“How willing some of Trump voters are to endorse extraordinary actions by Trump” – the GOP that cuts food aide for the poor, that prices healthcare out of the reach of the poor and that forces authoritarianism on Americans.
Was Jack one of his golfing buddies?
Good question.
SDM, love your poems. I read all of them.
That was a joke, though not far off the mark.
Jack Nicklaus — not Jack Nicklas — is actually the golfer, although Nack Nicklaus is also a Trump supporter who doubts the covid death toll and took hydroxychloroquine to combat this symptoms.